Episode 280
Introduction Ikeda Yaemon's true intentions starts to reveal themselves as Gintoki and his group help Asaemon flee Edo. Plot After Yaemon reveals that Gintoki was one of the escaped criminals, he demands that since the Previous head saved his life, Gintoki must use it to help Asaemon. The next day, Okita tells Hijikata that the serial killer, Asaemon, was caught by the Ikeda family, handed over to the Mimawarigumi, sentenced and beheaded by Yaemon in the same day, with a coroner's report confirming it. This earned the two Shinsengumis' suspicions. Meanwhile, during the night, Asaemon was indeed alive, hiding within a crate. Gintoki reveals that by pulling strings with the Mimawarigumi and the coroners, the Ikeda family declared her dead on paper, while she flees in a ship carrying corpses. Asaemon despairs over the fact that she was still tainted and useless, a demon who cannot cut anything, denied once again an honorable death. Gintoki recites a phrase to the girl told to him by the previous Yaemon that states that only a human is capable of saving humans who sin and become demons by separating the sin from their souls. Meanwhile, Shinpachi and Kagura watch them outside. The two wonder why he was at the prison in the first place, besides being a Joui patriot. Shinpachi states that they were forced into this trap and that most likely after helping Asaemon, they would be killed. Now they were becoming criminals because of Gintoki and lamented their fates... until they were interrupted by the arrival of Okita and Hijikata who wish to inspect the ship. Back in the room, Asaemon states that despite the Ikeda teachings that were drilled into her by her master, when she was chosen to behead said master, she became unsure and confused about everything, leading her to be unable to use the slicing technique to 'help turn him human again'. She herself wanted to commit seppuku because of her fall to demon-hood and asked Gintoki if the old head was really a demon. Gintoki admits that he did break the law but he upheld his convictions of treating all people as humans and that at least made him a good 'moronic' man. Their talk is interrupted by Hijikata and Okita's arrival as Shinpachi and Kagura tried to stop them, forcing Gintoki to hide in Asaemon's crate. Okita reveals that he and Hijikata realized that the victims were former Joui patriots or people linked to them meant to be killed during the Purge at the end of the Joui Wars 10 years ago. They were all people who were involed in a battle defeating the Bafuku general from the Hitotsubashi making the family temporarily lose standing in the government. In revenge some of the participants and their entire families were executed. The previous head, disgusted by the senseless killings, helped free them. Okita concludes that Gintoki and the previous head's lives were sold the Hitotsubashi faction by Yaemon to curry favor to the potential next shogun, Nobu Nobu. As he finishes, a large ship docks next to the smaller ship and a group of men from the faction confront the others. Shocked by the revelations, Asaemon begins to hesitate, while some of the men demand that she kill their enemies, further mocking her for her 'sullied' sword. This enrages Gintoki who blast them out of the room to the top of the ship; he and the Yorozuya start fighting the other men. Thanks to a pep talk from Gintoki, Asaemon decides to confront her adoptive brother for truly defiling the Yaemon name. She tries to attack him, but he slices the bridge between ships apart and is about to retaliate. Characters *18th Ikeda Yaemon *Sakata Gintoki *Kagura *Shimura Shinpachi *Ikeda Asaemon *Okita Sougo *Hijikata Toushirou Category:Episodes